I can only imagine how gutted Tony Docherty must have been when he got the dreaded phonecall from Liverpool to say Owen Beck was going back.
A huge disappointment for the Dark Blues.
Beck had been so good for them as an attacking outlet and defensively as well.
On top of it all, it very much looked like he was loving life at Dens Park.
He went into every game, every challenge with real intensity and very quickly made himself a fans favourite.
His driving runs would lift performances, lift the crowd and gave Dundee such a great outlet.
It says so much for his performances in dark blue that Liverpool even considered recalling him as they suffered left-back issues.
Loan gamble
It’s probably a loan that worked too well, sadly.
I can’t remember many recent loan deals that have made such an impact.
That just shows how difficult it can be to get the right players in on loan.
We see plenty of young players come up from big clubs down south.
But it’s a big step up going from youth football straight into top-flight senior games.
And they can take a while to get used to that.
Every loan has an element of gamble in it and that was true for Beck when he first arrived.
Quickly it became clear it was worth the gamble.
Replacing Beck?
Now, though, Docherty has to go find a replacement.
The Dundee boss isn’t daft so I’ve no doubt he’s been prepared for the bad news and will have some names to pursue as replacements.
The problem you’ve got in January is you are unlikely to get an experienced player to come in and provide the same level of display as Beck.
And, as I’ve already said, finding a replacement in the loan market is easier said than done.
It’s incredibly difficult to find anybody like Beck.
St Johnstone
It’s a shame he won’t get a send-off at Dens Park against St Johnstone tomorrow.
Knowing my old boss Craig Levein, he’ll already be looking to take advantage of Dundee’s issue.
He’ll know without Beck, they don’t have any kind of like-for-like replacement in the squad.
It’ll be interesting to see how Docherty approaches it against Saints.
Winter break
Numbers are low now in defence with Antonio Portales out, Ricki Lamie missing for the past two games and now Beck gone.
The good news is he has guys like Cammy Kerr and Lee Ashcroft in reserve.
In these situations, you want dependable players who can slot in without a fuss and those two are just that.
Having the winter break kick in after this game is probably good timing for the Dark Blues – they can get injured players back and Docherty has time to figure out how to replace the irreplaceable Beck.
First, though, has to figure out how to get the better of St Johnstone.
It’s a huge game for both sides in a very tight Premiership table.
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